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Zim-Aus Test series called off

Saturday, May 22 2004

The two-Test series between Australia and hosts Zimbabwe has been called off, but the three One-Day Internationals will go ahead, being preponed a week.

The Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) decided today to call off the Tests, the first of which was supposed to start tomorrow, ahead of a tele-conference that was hastily arranged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to debate on the issue of Zimbabwe not being able to come up with a strong side. As a result of the ZCU's decision, the tele-conference was cancelled.

Cricket Australia accepted the ZCU's offer to call off the series. While the ZCU want the series to be held in the near future, Cricket Australia has expressed inability to reschedule the series within the next four years because of a hectic schedule.

Speaking to the press, Cricket Australia chairman Bob Merriman said, "The Tests will be played on dates to be fixed, but it will take at least four years to re-arrange them into the ICC programme. We are really sorry and disappointed about this, but it was not really in our hands."

The two teams, however will play in a three-match One-Day International series, which has been preponed from early June to next week. All the three matches will be played in Harare matches on May 25, 27 and 29. The Australian Test team members Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Simon Katich have left Zimbabwe to return home.

Meanwhile, the ZCU has sacked all the fifteen rebel players - again - for not making themselves available for the now cancelled Test series. As a result, none of them will feature in the One-Day side Zimbabwe will field against Australia, an issue which will need to be addressed by the ICC as soon as possible, before that series too falls in jeopardy.

Posted by Sudeep